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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25484644">i get a little bit nervous (around you)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffee_petal/pseuds/coffee_petal'>coffee_petal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Direction (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:20:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,196</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25484644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffee_petal/pseuds/coffee_petal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>an ode to the nerves you feel when you do something vulnerable in front of your crush - louis waits for harry to follow him back on instagram</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i get a little bit nervous (around you)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello! this is my first larry fic, originally posted on my tumblr yesterday when the news first broke about the instagram follow lol. i was talking to my friend sana about how nervous louis must be feeling and she said someone should write a fic -- so i did! </p><p>(i've put canon-compliant as a tag because i think that while L and H were definitely together in 2011-2016, i'm a bit skeptical about whether they're back together properly yet. pls don't come @ me - this is just my own opinion. larry 4 life pls and thnakyou)</p><p>/title from nervous by shawn mendes/</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘<em>To all the boys, I love you so much.</em>’</p><p>Louis taps his fingers nervously against the back of his phone, resisting every urge to peek at the screen and see if there is a notification light flashing. He had turned it on silent after he’d hit the ‘follow’ button – had kind of wished he could fling it into the sea too (or himself; he wasn’t picky). But what’s done is done.</p><p>Harry must already have gotten the notification. And the fans would have definitely picked up on it immediately, Louis knew that. The video had just aired, and they would all be looking out for something. (It was the shittiest video he’d ever seen – well, okay no, the iHeartRadio one had been the worst – but he’d signed off on it without complaining because of that one little scene – the way their beds had been pushed together, his phone visible on the second one while Harry’s was clearly charging next to him. Louis smiles at the memory and vaguely turns towards his laptop. Perhaps he could have another watch while he waited.)</p><p>(He still can’t believe their management had approved the video…)</p><p>Louis logs back in and pulls up the tab he already has open. It’s been nearly 30 minutes since it’s aired but the views are steadily climbing, and so are the comments. He watches the intro almost on autopilot, only perking up a little when Harry turns around with the silliest smile at the station. His gaze falls back to his phone a couple seconds later – he had turned it over in a weak attempt to combat the irresistible temptation (so far, it’s working – or is it?)</p><p>He swears the butterflies inside him are multiplying like rabbits. It feels like he’s a lovesick teen again, running his hands through curls and pinching cheeks that he would’ve kissed more often if only he’d known how their time together had an expiration date. He shakes his head firmly and pushes down on his breastbone in an effort to calm himself. It was all over now. He was free. H was free. There was no use thinking about the past.</p><p>(Reaching out is always the hardest part…) But – </p><p><em>I love you so much</em> </p><p>– that had really brought Louis to his knees. He knew it was for all the boys, that it wasn’t directed towards him specifically, but the ‘<em>so much</em>’ – it had been years since Harry had said anything like this.</p><p>The ridiculous anniversary video is still playing in the background, but Louis sinks his face into Clifford’s fur, breathing in slowly. He’s had the dogs back for a while now and their physical comfort is something he’d missed more than he’d thought he would. Hopefully, they’ll never have to leave his side again. He murmurs nonsense into the dog’s back as Bruce snuffles into his socked feet.</p><p>(He’d spent the entire morning in his sweats and no shirt; cuddling Clifford and Bruce in lieu of a dimple-cheeked boy, watching old fanvideos, compilations, performances and interviews on YouTube. The sofa is still littered with empty crisps wrappers and a couple of tissues because fuck it, he’d cried okay.)</p><p>The video ends and there’s silence in the room once again. Did he even watch it? He doesn’t think so.</p><p>Louis looks at the time.</p><p>
  <em>Fifteen more minutes. I can do it.</em>
</p><p>He sighs heavily and sits back up again. Clifford whines but doesn’t move otherwise. Louis rubs a hand over his face and through his hair.</p><p>It’s gotten so long – does Harry know he’s growing it out too? Has he seen the photo of him from the fan’s TikTok? Did it make him think of that conversation they had back in 2013 when he’d shyly asked Lou Teasdale if he could grow his hair out a bit and Louis had immediately asked for the same? Did he remember how they’d grinned at each other in silly solidarity?</p><p>(It was just a haircut – or the lack of one – but it felt like so much more.)</p><p>
  <em>Twelve minutes, goddamnit.</em>
</p><p>Louis looks around his empty house. It’s a fucking mess, he’ll admit it. He’s been holed up in here for the past few weeks, only leaving once or twice. But he just can’t bring himself to do anything about it – there’s something in his stomach – a rock or perhaps a whole fucking island – he needs to <em>know</em>. He needs to know if they’re repairable. If he still has a chance.</p><p>He’s even more nervous than he was when his album was about to be released – with all of its ‘loud’ references (as fans would call it) – his heart laid bare for Harry to see.</p><p>
  <em>Eight.</em>
</p><p>Fuck it. Louis reaches for his phone, only to shrink away at the last second. He doesn’t know what would be worse – checking before his self-appointed time and finding no notification from Harry or checking it later and still seeing no notification. How long should he allow his heart to keep hammering before letting it settle into disappointment?</p><p>Bruce snuffles into his feet again and Louis reaches down to pet his nose, his thumb slipping over his sock because of the movement. It falls to his ankle and Louis gazes at his exposed triangle tattoo, feeling his heart burn. There’s been so much hurt. So much they’ve had to hide. He swallows back tears, willing himself to remain composed.</p><p>There’s a potential lyric crashing through his brain right now – it’s sad and it’s selfish but he jots it down on his open laptop anyway. Maybe it’ll make its way into his next album, maybe it won’t. Maybe Harry will hear it one day and Louis will get to tell him the story behind it and he’ll laugh, and Harry will laugh because they <em>can</em>.</p><p><em>Three minutes</em>.</p><p>Louis squeezes his eyes closed and slumps back into the couch. If he sits very quietly and very still for the next one-eighty seconds, will it be more or less likely that Harry would’ve followed him back?</p><p>More likely, Louis thinks vaguely. Patience is rewarded, right? Right.</p><p>He cracks one eye open, grateful there’s no one around to witness his pitiful behaviour. <em>One minute.</em></p><p>He leans forward more eagerly than he meant to, his eyes zeroing in on the phone. It’s been almost a full hour. He knows Harry is in Italy. He knows there’s no time zone issues. He also knows Harry doesn’t have plans today (okay, so what if Louis did a bit of intense stalking to find out this particular information?)</p><p><em>Ten seconds</em>.</p><p>His fingers hover over the sides of the phone. It has a clear case. Really basic. He wonders what sort of phone case Harry has.</p><p>
  <em>Five.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Four.</em>
</p><p>Fuck. What if Harry hasn’t followed him back?</p><p>
  <em>Two.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One.</em>
</p><p>Louis turns it over, just in time to catch the tail-end of the familiar notification light. His heart leaps. His hands are shaking as he unlocks the phone. Pulls down the notification bar. Stops breathing.</p><p><em>Harry Styles is now following you on Instagram</em>.</p><p>And –</p><p>
  <em>Harry Styles sent you a message.</em>
</p><p>Louis almost drops the phone. His mouth dry, he taps on the notification.</p><p>“Lou. It’s been too long.”</p><p> </p>
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